In the Shadow of Crows

by David Charles Manners

"I was so moved by this extraordinary true story."—Dame Felicity Lott When Bindra contracts leprosy, she is set on fire and driven from the Himalayan foothills where she was born. David is brought up in England speaking "kitchen Urdu" and his childhood imagination is entirely consumed by a fantasy life in India. Disaster drives him to rediscover his non-British roots. Eventually he walks into a leprosy colony and meets an elderly woman called Bindra. Both their lives are transformed. Part of the proceeds from this title go to the charity Sarvashubhamkara, which works on the Indian subcontinent with victims of leprosy.

Genres: Fiction

341 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Tod Fulward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonished by this book, which tossed me between laughter and tears. I have read much on India, but nothing quite like this. One of those rare reads that has left me indefinably changed. Could not recommend this more highly. A book that is both beautiful and important.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing.

[Tracey Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book

[Barbara Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the first six chapters some years ago, I restarted at chapter 1 and missed the preliminary material, I didn't realize until near the end that this was a true story. David, a grieving young widower, travels to India in search of his family roots as an attempt to put his life together. His journey alternates with that of Bindra, also widowed, who is cast out of her village and travels with her two young sons in search of refuge and medical treatment for leprosy. Half way through, their paths cross in Varanasi, bringing back memories of my visit there in 2017. They do not meet again until near the end of her life. Bindra's story, based on her memories, is shot through with her remarkable spirituality.

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost gave up on this. Until halfway through, when things improved for me, I found the style of alternating stories annoying, and the style of writing very florid. I also suspected author was out of his depth in the story of Bindra (woman with leprosy). Her sections were unconvincing, and I thought poorly written. It was almost as if she was just a vehicle for explaining the philosophy of her faith.
However - halfway through, I began to engage more with the characters. And the descriptions of present-day India are worth reading.

[Katy Sewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but took a while to get going. I learned a lot about leprosy and much of it was very moving. I liked the alternation between David's story in the first person and Bindra's story in the third person. However for me, there was too much written in Nepalese, Hindi etc and I felt it could have been condensed. Much more seemed to happen towards the end and this gripped me much more. That said, this is a true story that makes me even more grateful for everything that I have.

[Barbara Sibbald]

Two parallel stories: a poor labourer who is afflicted with leprosy and loses everything; and a white boy who is obsessed with his families Indian past. Both characters and their stories are equally engaging - that alone makes this unusual. The description of India, in particular the Hills, is evocative and beautiful. Highly recommended.

[Leza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Insightful and heartbreaking.

[Gydle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book, two concurrent journeys - one a grieving young man searching for his roots in India and the other a Nepali woman/shaman who is a victim of leprosy and who has lost everything but refuses to succumb to despair. Heartbreaking, gut-wrenching and at the same time full of hope. It paints a canvas of India, a country full of contradictions, suffering still from the legacy of colonialism, with its beauty and cruelty, heat, sickness, despair and joy. I have never been to India but after reading this book I felt like I had voyaged there.

[Alison S ☯️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started well, and the Indian setting was quite interesting. However, it wasn't very well written - lots of "purple prose" that made me wince! -and there was far too much exposition and detail (e.g. about religious beliefs) that made it too much like hard work. I really wanted to finish this book as it is being discussed by my Reading Group next month, but I gave up after about 80 pages.

[Ginette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really powerful story, bravely and honestly told

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting insight into Nepali & Indian cultures. Descriptive writing with underlying themes of loss & grief makes this book an emotive read.